NewDelhi: Corporate India is in the throes of a mental health crisis, according to employee assistance program provider 1to1help’s latest ‘State of Emotional Well-being Report 2024’. The report points to a concerning trend with more than 90% of employees aged 25 or younger suffering from anxiety-related issues.
At a time when stalwart corporate leaders, including NR Narayana Murthy and L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan, are recommending longer work hours and working on weekends, this upsurge in anxiety.
The report, based on data from more than 83,000 counselling sessions, 12,000 elective screenings and 42,000 assessments conducted from January to November 2024, highlights the mental health struggles of India’s workforce. Workers under the age of 25 have a 90% rate of anxiety, compared to 67% for people over 45.
Wage earners in the millennial and Gen Z age brackets are unequivocally the most vulnerable, navigating stressors like career distance, possible relocations or relationship strife in those early professional years. Read more: Minor substance use likely to trigger younger people, new 24,000-person survey shows signs of depression and anxiety are especially prevalent among people under 30, with these issues consistently ranking among the top reasons for seeking counselling.
The results underscore the critical need for organisations of all sizes to implement structured mental health support systems that are appropriate for younger employees. The report also stresses the importance of managers tackling mental health in the workplace. Perhaps almost unbelievably, 59% were referred for counselling by their managers, who themselves could have benefitted from training to identify distress amongst their own teams.
“More than half the referrals that 1to1help received were related to a suicidal presence and in most cases managers were making a life and death difference,” said Mahua Bisht, CEO of 1to1help. “Companies should train managers to understand the signs that they need to refer a colleague to a professional.”
Though there was a 7% increase in uptake among men, women comprised a disproportionately high share of almost 52% of all counselling sessions, compared to their representation in the workforce, which is lower. These pressures on women to balance workplace demands with societal and familial expectations are reflected in this data.
Interestingly, 70 per cent of financial counselling was sought by men, highlighting their anxiety over social norms about being the primary breadwinner. This is indicative of a need for financial wellness programs in addition to emotional well-being support.
The report revealed that workplace relationships were the most popular topic of discussion during counselling sessions, covering 23% of cases. Workplace-related concerns accounted for 11% of sessions. The survey underscores the importance of creating healthy workplace dynamics and open organisational communication to help relieve employee stress.
The study also found that dependents of employees had a higher risk of suicide, which means that companies should not only increase emotional well-being but also extend assistance to dependents. Such risk can be mitigated with expanded support networks within organisations, leading to a more holistic approach to Mental Health.
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